2015-05-26 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                     26 MAY 2015


Regulation of the activities of professional lobbyists is via The Act (sections 41-44) which defines
a lobbyist, places limitations on lobbying activities and also requires the registration of
professional lobbyists with the Integrity Commissioner.

Section 41(1) of The Act defines a lobbyist as “an entity that carries out a lobbying activity for a
third party client or whose employees or contractors carry out a lobbying activity for a third party
client”.

2.   Policy, Guideline and Council Responsibilities

The attached Policy confirms Council’s commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities under The Act
and ensures careful consideration is given to any recommendations or directions provided by the
Integrity Commissioner in relation to lobbying.

The Integrity Commissioner has requested that Council maintain a Register of Contact with
Lobbyists and has requested that Council provide a copy of any entries made on the register for
the period of June 2015.

The purpose of the Organisational Guideline provided at Attachment 2 is to inform Councillors
and Council Officers of the procedures to be followed when approached by a professional
lobbyist and to meet the record keeping requirements of the Integrity Commissioner (including
the recording of contact with lobbyists on Council’s Contact with Lobbyists Register).

Once the guideline has been authorised by the CEO, training will provided to Councillors and
relevant staff. The Contact with Lobbyists Flowchart provided at Attachment 3 provides an
overview of the Policy and Guideline requirements.

It is acknowledged that one of the main lobbying activities involving Councillors will relate to
development applications. In this regard, the existing Council Policy “Development Assessment -
Responsibilities of Councillors” will continue to apply and should be read in conjunction with the
Contact with Lobbyists Policy and associated Guideline.

Previous Council Consideration

Ordinary Meeting, 12 March 2015, Item 11, Page 8

That Council note the report by the Executive Manager to the Planning & Organisational
Committee Meeting dated 3 March 2015 and defer consideration to a future meeting so that a
further report can be provided which includes the proposed policy, guidelines and procedures for
Council’s consideration.”

Finance & Risk

The adoption of the Contact with Lobbyists Policy while not a regulatory requirement is
considered to be a good governance practice as it will guide Councillors and staff in their
dealings with lobbyists and improve transparency and decision making. Failing to have a Policy
in place and a detailed procedural guideline leaves the organisation exposed to an increased
likelihood of failing to meet the requirements prescribed by the Integrity Act 2009, which could
lead to otherwise avoidable reputational damage.




                                                                                  Page 157 of 171